Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) in the brain

P19-derived neuronal cells express H1, H2, and H3 histamine receptors: a biopharmaceutical approach to evaluate antihistamine agents

Histamine is a biogenic amine implicated in various biological and pathological processes. Convenient cellular models are needed to screen and develop new antihistamine agents. This report aimed to characterize the response of neurons differentiated from mouse P19 embryonal carcinoma cells to histamine treatment, and to investigate the modulation of this response by antihistamine drugs, vegetal diamine oxidase, and catalase. The exposure of P19 neurons to histamine reduced cell viability to 65% maximally. This effect involves specific histamine receptors, since it was prevented by treatment with desloratadine and cimetidine, respectively, H₁ and H₂ antagonists, but not by the H₃ antagonist ciproxifan. RT-PCR analysis showed that P19 neurons express H₁ and H₂ receptors, and the H₃ receptor, although it seemed not involved in the histamine effect on these cells. The H₄ receptor was not expressed. H₁ and H₂ antagonists as well as vegetal diamine oxidase diminished the intracellular Ca²⁺ mobilization triggered by histamine. The treatment with vegetal diamine oxidase or catalase protected against mortality and a significant reduction of H₂O₂ level, generated from the cells under the histamine action, was found upon treatments with desloratadine, cimetidine, vegetal diamine oxidase, or catalase. Overall, the results indicate the expression of functional histamine receptors and open the possibility of using P19 neurons as model system to study the roles of histamine and related drugs in neuronal pathogenesis. This model is less expensive to operate and can be easily implemented by current laboratories of analysis and by Contract Research Organizations.

A Fluorogenic Probe for Ultrafast and Reversible Detection of Formaldehyde in Neurovascular Tissues

Formaldehyde (FA) is endogenously produced in live systems and has been implicated in a diverse array of pathophysiological processes. To disentangle the detailed molecular mechanisms of FA biology, a reliable method for monitoring FA changes in live cells would be indispensable. Although there have been several fluorescent probes reported to detect FA, most are limited by the slow detection kinetics and the intrinsic disadvantage of detecting FA in an irreversible manner which may disturb endogenous FA homeostasis. Herein we developed a coumarin-hydrazonate based fluorogenic probe (PFM) based on a finely-tailored stereoelectronic effect. PFM could respond to FA swiftly and reversibly. This, together with its desirable specificity and sensitivity, endows us to track endogenous FA in live neurovascular cells with excellent temporal and spatial resolution. Further study in the brain tissue imaging showed the first direct observation of aberrant FA accumulation in cortex and hippocampus of Alzheimer's mouse model, indicating the potential of PFM as a diagnostic tool.

Formate generated by cellular oxidation of formaldehyde accelerates the glycolytic flux in cultured astrocytes

Formaldehyde is a neurotoxic compound that can be endogenously generated in the brain. Because astrocytes play a key role in metabolism and detoxification processes in brain, we have investigated the capacity of these cells to metabolize formaldehyde using primary astrocyte-rich cultures as a model system. Application of formaldehyde to these cultures resulted in the appearance of formate in cells and in a time-, concentration- and temperature-dependent disappearance of formaldehyde from the medium that was accompanied by a matching extracellular accumulation of formate. This formaldehyde-oxidizing capacity of astrocyte cultures is likely to be catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase 3 and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2, because the cells of the cultures contain the mRNAs of these formaldehyde-oxidizing enzymes. In addition, exposure to formaldehyde increased both glucose consumption and lactate production by the cells. Both the strong increase in the cellular formate content and the increase in glycolytic flux were only observed after application of formaldehyde to the cells, but not after treatment with exogenous methanol or formate. The accelerated lactate production was not additive to that obtained for azide, a known inhibitor of complex IV of the respiratory chain, and persisted after removal of formaldehyde after a formaldehyde exposure for 1.5 h. These data demonstrate that cultured astrocytes efficiently oxidize formaldehyde to formate, which subsequently enhances glycolytic flux, most likely by inhibition of mitochondrial respiration.

Formaldehyde stimulates Mrp1-mediated glutathione deprivation of cultured astrocytes

Formaldehyde (Fal) is an environmental neurotoxin that is also endogenously produced in brain. Since the tripeptide glutathione (GSH) plays an important role in detoxification processes in brain cells, we have investigated the consequences of a Fal exposure on the GSH metabolism of brain cells, using astrocyte-rich primary cultures as model system. Treatment of these cultures with Fal resulted in a rapid time- and concentration-dependent depletion of cellular GSH and a matching increase in the extracellular GSH content. Exposure of astrocytes to 1mm Fal for 3h did not compromise cell viability but almost completely deprived the cells of GSH. Half-maximal deprivation of cellular GSH was observed after application of 0.3mm Fal. This effect was rather specific for Fal, since methanol, formate or acetaldehyde did not affect cellular GSH levels. The Fal-stimulated GSH loss from viable astrocytes was completely prevented by semicarbazide-mediated chemical removal of Fal or by the application of MK571, an inhibitor of the multidrug resistance protein 1. These data demonstrate that Fal deprives astrocytes of cellular GSH by a multidrug resistance protein 1-mediated process.

Behavioral outcomes of monoamine oxidase deficiency: preclinical and clinical evidence

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) isoenzymes A and B are mitochondrial-bound proteins, catalyzing the oxidative deamination of monoamine neurotransmitters as well as xenobiotic amines. Although they derive from a common ancestral progenitor gene, are located at X-chromosome and display 70% structural identity, their substrate preference, regional distribution, and physiological role are divergent. In fact, while MAO-A has high affinity for serotonin and norepinephrine, MAO-B primarily serves the catabolism of 2-phenylethylamine (PEA) and contributes to the degradation of other trace amines and dopamine. Convergent lines of preclinical and clinical evidence indicate that variations in MAO enzymatic activity--due to either genetic or environmental factors--can exert a profound influence on behavioral regulation and play a role in the pathophysiology of a large spectrum of mental and neurodegenerative disorders, ranging from antisocial personality disorder to Parkinson's disease. Over the past few years, numerous advances have been made in our understanding of the phenotypical variations associated with genetic polymorphisms and mutations of the genes encoding for both isoenzymes. In particular, novel findings on the phenotypes of MAO-deficient mice are highlighting novel potential implications of both isoenzymes in a broad spectrum of mental disorders, ranging from autism and anxiety to impulse-control disorders and ADHD. These studies will lay the foundation for future research on the neurobiological and neurochemical bases of these pathological conditions, as well as the role of gene × environment interactions in the vulnerability to several mental disorders.

Reversible inactivation of bovine plasma amine oxidase by cysteamine and related analogs

Cysteamine (1) was reported many years ago to reversibly inhibit lentil seedling amine oxidase, through the formation of a complex with thioacetaldehyde, the turnover product of 1. Herein, cysteamine (1) and its analogs 2-(methylamino)ethanethiol (3) and 3-aminopropanethiol (6) were found to be reversible inhibitors of bovine plasma amine oxidase (BPAO), but 2-(methylthio)ethylamine (7) was determined to be a weak irreversible inhibitor of BPAO. Based on our results, indicating the necessity of a sulfhydryl-amine for reversible inactivation of BPAO, the failure of inhibited BPAO to recover activity after gel filtration, the first-order kinetics of activity recovery upon dialysis, and 2,4,6-trihydroxyphenylalanine quinine (TPQ) cofactor transformation which indicated from the results of phenylhydrazine titration and substrate protection, we propose a mechanism for the reversible inactivation of BPAO by 1 involving the formation of a cofactor adduct, thiazolidine, between BPAO and 1.

Histamine-N-methyl transferase polymorphism and risk for multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) is the main metabolizing enzyme of histamine (a mediator of inflammation implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis-MS) in the CNS. We have investigated the possible association between a single nucleotide polymorphism of the HNMT (chromosome 2q22.1), that causes the amino acid substitution Thr105Ile (decreasing enzyme activity) and the risk for MS.

METHODS

We studied the frequency of the HNMT genotypes and allelic variants in 228 MS patients and 295 healthy controls using a PCR-RLFP method.

RESULTS

The frequencies of the HNMT genotypes and allelic variants did not differ significantly between MS patients and controls, and were unrelated with the age of onset of MS, gender, and course of MS.

CONCLUSION

The HNMT polymorphism is not related with the risk for MS.

Tamoxifen protect against hydroxyl radical generation induced by phenelzine in rat striatum

The present study was examined whether tamoxifen, a synthetic nonsteroidal antiestrogen, could suppress antidepressant drug phenelzine can increase an active dopaminergic neurotoxin, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP(+))-induced hydroxyl radical (OH) generation in the extracellular fluid of rat striatum, using in vivo microdialysis system. Rats were anesthetized, and sodium salicylate (0.5 nmol/microl/min) was infused through a microdialysis probe to detect the generation of OH as reflected by the non-enzymatic formation of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA) in the striatum. Infusion of phenelzine (100 microM or 0.1 nmol/microl/min) into the striatum drastically increased dopamine (DA) efflux and the OH formation, trapped as 2,3-DHBA by the possible increased production of MPP(+). However, tamoxifen (100 microM) significantly suppressed phenelzine enhanced DA efflux and OH formation by MPP(+). These results in the present study is the first demonstration showing the protective effect of tamoxifen on OH generation induced by phenelzine enhanced MPP(+) by suppressing DA efflux.

Serum level of semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase in children with ADHD

Background

The objective of this study was to analyze the extracellularly acting semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) serum levels in children with ADHD for the first time. SSAO is known to show deviations from normal in various somatic disorders and to interplay with the intracellularly active MAO. In humans two forms of SSAO a circulating form in plasma and a membrane-bound form are involved in monoaminergic metabolism.

Methods

We analyzed serum levels of SSAO in 27 children meeting ICD-10 criteria of Hyperkinetic Disorder (F90) or DSM-IV criteria of ADHD combined type by HPLC method and fluorimetric detection. A group of 42 healthy volunteers within the same age range (7.0 – 14.0 years) served as controls.

Results

No significant differences between children with ADHD (SSAO activity M = 773, SD = 217 mU/l) and healthy controls (SSAO activity M = 775, SD = 256 mU/l) in SSAO serum levels were found (F = 2.18; p > 0.14). Further, stimulant medication status had no influence on the result (F = 2.52; p > 0.11).

Conclusion

There is no evidence for a deviation of SSAO serum activity in ADHD. Hence, extracellularly acting SSAO does not seem to be a promising factor for further research in ADHD. But progress in knowledge of its physiologic role and of the relationship between the membrane-bound and the circulating serum form may open new avenues for research on SSAO in ADHD.

Highly potent propargylamine and allylamine inhibitors of bovine plasma amine oxidase

Propargylamine was reported many years ago to be a mechanism-based inhibitor of bovine plasma amine oxidase (BPAO), though the potency was modest and allylamine was a substrate. Herein, selected 3-substituted propargylamines and allylamines were found to be potent time-dependent inactivators of BPAO, exhibiting IC(50) values of 2-13 microM at 30 degrees C, making them the most potent BPAO inhibitors reported to date. The most potent compound, trans-3-chloroallylamine, was previously found not to inhibit the flavin-dependent monoamine oxidase (the cis isomer did), and thus appears to be a highly selective inhibitor.